Sorry. That was a bad joke.
If those of you reading this don't already know, during the Commonwealth Games I got the opportunity to interview athletes as a flash quote reporter. Before I speak of my favourite moments, I just want to say I encourage anyone who gets the opportunity to do flash quote reporting to grab it with both hands because it is such a great (and stressful) experience.
Anyway, here are some moments from the cycling that I really enjoyed:
Jason Kenny's Silver in the Men's Sprint
As a back story, Kenny was one of the favourites for the men's sprint title, but his qualifying was below-par. He came up against the favourite and fastest man, Matthew Glaetzer, in the quarter finals. He managed to outsmart the Aussie and then Glaetzer's team mate, Peter Lewis, in the semis. Unfortunately, Kenny was stopped in the final over three races as New Zealand's Sam Webster, but when I talked to him he seemed pretty satisfied. He told me after a poor qualifying he really didn't expect to get into the final, but Jason's best quality when you interview him is not so much his words, but how friendly he is. Really nice guy and is comfortable to talk to.
The Only Guy From Brunei: Muhammed I'maadi Abd Aziz
I got the chance to speak to a timid cyclist from the minnow state of Brunei. He was a timid character, but at the same time such a nice guy to speak to. He just missed qualification in the points race where he finished 13th (top 12 went through) and he seemed awestruck about the other riders in the race. He told me that he looked tiny in comparison to them before speaking about his plans for the rest of the season (competing in the Tour of Brunei if you're interested) and what he planned to do whilst in Scotland. With a confused face he told me he was going to a castle (which turned out to be Edinburgh Castle) and he made me laugh when he said he was going to see a monster in a lake. However, he doesn't believe that Nessie really exists.The Passionate Malaysian: Azizulhasni Awang
It took me ages to get a hold of one of the most entertaining riders but I finally got him. Awang managed to win bronze in the Keirin and done it in style. His tactics in the sprint were very exciting, but it was amazing to see him hold on to third in the Keirin despite having a bad line coming into the finish. He is a bit of a character - he was already in hot water for showing support for Gaza on his gloves and he really gets worked up when talking to you. He told me that his nation look to him to win a medal so he is very proud to represent the country. Has to be said, he's one of the biggest rebels in cycling.
Danny Laud Gave Me a Laugh
When you're not interviewing the winners, you interview those who don't do so well in the road events. Anguilla's Danny Laud was telling me about how small his country is and how the climate is very different to race in. All of his answers were pretty average until I asked him what he was planning to do once he finished his racing in Glasgow and he replied "Well I leave early on Monday so I have a couple of hours at night to get myself into trouble".
Stephanie Morton On Her Friendship With Anna Meares
Aussie pair Stephanie Morton and Anna Meares finished one and two in the 500m Time Trial and the Women's Sprint. Meares took the time trial, but Morton took the sprint in a bit of a shock result. It's difficult to outsmart a legend like Anna Meares - but she did. She spoke about how they are room mates at the games and are the best of friends, but sometimes I find that hard to believe as some say it to diffuse any chance of the media making a big story. However, I was proven wrong when Morton invited Meares up to the top of the podium for the national anthem as she embraced her team mate and sang.
Meeting Chris Froome's Old Coach
Well, allegedly. Kenya's David Njau could have kick-started the career of one of Britain's best cyclists or he is great at lying. The 43 year-old took part in the time trial and he told me that he dedicated this race to Tour de France winner Chris Froome. Thinking it was a bit strange, I asked David why. He told me "He made me famous". He then went on to tell me that he coached Froome from a young age and taught him about "training and suffering".
Katie Archibald's Late Bronze
Although there was a scrap for the gold between England's Laura Trott and Wales' Elinor Barker (for whom I have a soft spot for), Katie Archibald grabbing bronze in the points race was brilliant. Katie managed to push Australia's Amy Cure down to fourth with a last burst of speed in the last points sprint. The silver-haired Scot was so happy to win a medal in front of a home crowd and she couldn't stop smiling. When a colleague of mine asked if she dyed her hair silver and blue for Team Scotland she replied "Well you wouldn't believe me if I told you it was an accident". One of my favourites after the Games.
The Edmondson Siblings
I didn't just love them because of their ultra-competitiveness (something that I can relate to with my inferior little bro) but they were just so eager to talk to you. For a couple of world champions, you wouldn't be surprised if they looked down on you a little, but they were genuine people. It turns out their family come from Elgin in the north of Scotland, so the country adopted them as the nations darlings when Scotland weren't having so much luck. Annette seems like she could talk forever and Alex is very approachable. A nice duo.
Christopher Symonds: The 40 Year Old Multi-Eventer
I was looking in our information system and came across a guy who was competing for Ghana in the Triathlon AND the road events. He unfortunately suffered pretty bad in both, but he told me he was suffering from a bug half way through the triathlon (which he thinks he picked it in the swim). He just about recovered for the time trial, but still felt drained. It turns out that he lives in London and works at the House of Commons as a doorman. After asking him if he thought those in the Parliament were, I'll go with "dislikeable" he told me that they're an all right bunch - much to my dismay. However, he told me that he decided to represent Ghana because he wants to be a pioneer for the country and get young people interested in triathlon and road cycling. He was probably the nicest guy I met there: he had a laugh and a conversation with me, he was going very well at 40 years young and put out his hand for a handshake. True gent.
The New Zealand Coach (a.k.a. Quote Machine)
Anthony Peden was put in the difficult position of answering a question about how he would conduct himself as two of his riders faced off in the semi finals of the Men's Sprint. He replied with "I'm just going to sit back and watch really. I've got to stand silent on the sidelines and that's the hardest thing for me, I'm normally pretty vocal and have arms going everywhere. You might see a bit of gaffer tape over my mouth and a zip tie around my hands."Geraint Thomas' Bronze in the Time Trial
I waited for a good half an hour to find the Welshman who came back to the mixed zone long after the race. He is a confident character and he told me that getting the bronze in Glasgow was good enough for him and that he wouldn't be disappointed if he only came away with that. But just a few days later, he would add to that bronze with a dramatic win in the Road Race. He certainly looks like a potential replacement to Froome.
Namibia's Dan Craven
On paper, this guy would do a decent job in the road race but wouldn't do anything significant. Yet, Craven (based in Bristol I'm sure) secured a ninth place finish which is Namibia's highest placed finish in a road race at the Commonwealth Games. But his position wasn't the best thing about him, it was how funny he was. He stopped talking mid-sentence to compliment my shorthand writing. I then thanked him and he then joked "I like your top". He then complimented how great the crowd was. Me and a colleague said thank you, before he replied "No thank you! It's been brilliant and Glasgow, you've done well". We thought so too.
Scott Sunderland's Emotional Win
You would have had to have a heart of stone not to hold back the tears listening to Scott Sunderland's interview after winning the 1000m Time Trial. He said that to defend his title here was something special, but also winning the same event in Delhi was just as special as he dedicated the win to his late grandmother who died as he spent his last days with her. Whilst listening to his story of heartbreak and death I told myself "Just don't cry". Scott was one of the best cyclists on the track and he had many journalists saddened by his story. You could see how much it meant to him.
Did you have any particular highlights? Leave a comment if you do.
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